Search form

Mike Maynard Wildcat Combined Events Full of Big Performances

TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona's men's and women's track and field teams have found themselves in some pretty good company at the Mike Maynard Wildcat Combined Events. Fifteen men and thirteen women started the multi-events on Tuesday morning at Roy P. Drachman Stadium. The day was filled with very impressive performances all around by the competition.

In the women's heptathlon, four events were completed in the first day of competition. The women started the day off with the 100-meter high hurdles. Jackie Johnson of Arizona State took the early lead by winning the hurdles with a time of 13.53 seconds. Aja Frary, competing unattached, and Austra Skujyte of Team Nike were right in the mix with second and third place finishes. Arizona's Amanda Underwood was 10th, and Lexie Viggiano was 13th.

Skujyte was the highlight of the women's high jump competition. She won after clearing 6-0 ï¿½. Underwood finished tied for eighth place with a height of 4 feet, 11 ï¿½ inches. Viggiano was unable to clear the opening height.

The competition was still pretty close heading in the shot put, but this is where things started to open up. Skujyte continued to dominate the competition with a big throw of 52 feet, 2 inches, giving her a commanding lead. For the Wildcats, Underwood was eighth with a throw of 33 feet, 4 inches, while Viggiano was 12th.

The last event of the day for the women was the 200 meters. Arizona State's Johnson used her speed to gain some ground on Skujyte. Johnson finished first with a time of 24.75 seconds. JaNelle Wright of Kansas State was second, followed by Skujyte in third. Underwood was sixth with a time of 26.62 seconds, and Viggiano was ninth in 27.28 seconds.

At the end of the first day, Skujyte leads the overall standings with 3,812 points. Johnson is second with 3,552 points, and Wright is third with 3.428 points. Underwood currently sits in seventh place with 2,730 points, while Viggiano is thirteenth with 1,657 points.

The men's decathlon had quite a few highlights, as well. The men opened up with the 100-meter dash. Pay Pyle was the winner and early leader with a time of 10.70 seconds. Joshua Kinnamen of Arizona State was second in 10.78 seconds, while Central Arizona's Alleyne Lett finished third in 10.98 seconds.

The third event of the day was the men's shot put, where Karas won with a throw of 48 feet, 5 ï¿½ inches. Andy Geisler, competing for Napa, was second with toss of 47 feet, 11 ï¿½ inches. Lett had the third-best throw of the field at 47 feet, 9 ï¿½ inches.

The men's high jump was quite a thriller. Paul Brozik of South Dakota won with a huge clearance of 6 feet, 10 ï¿½ inches. Ryan Voge and Karas tied for second with a height of 6 feet, 6 inches.

The final event of the day was the 400-meter dash. Gabe LeMay of Oregon won with a time of 48.63 seconds. Bevan Hart, competing for the U.S. Army was second in 49.56 seconds. Kinnamen of Arizona State was third, crossing the line at 49.65 seconds.

At the end of the day, Josef Karas of M.M.E. leads the competition with 4,087 points. Arizona State's Kinnamen is second with 3,877 points, and Hart of the U.S. Army is third with 3,866 points.

The conclusion of the multi-events begins at 11 a.m. MT at Roy P. Drachman Stadium on Wednesday, March 24.